There are many reasons why Lemmy is an icon, including:
1. he is a rebel and society needs rebels;
2. his musical influence;
3. he can tell a joke;
4. he is a stubborn survivor;
and I’ll now elaborate on each point.
1. He’s an iconic rebel and we need rebels. He has been described as a hedonist into sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, strip clubs, who drinks whisky like water, and, perhaps most controversially he collects Nazi memorabilia and old knives. He has always been an outsider, or so he says. He apparently distances himself from everyone, is a loner, is hard to get close to, and prefers the company of whores and strippers. Who today would be the ultimate outsider? A metalhead dressed in Nazi uniform in Los Angeles. And that he is. Lemmy was a punk before punk existed. Society needs rebels, the fringe, people who test the limits. We may not like what rebels do, but acceptance of it, providing there is no harm to others, implies a healthy society. He isn't breaking any social taboos, merely challenging them. Even museums collect Nazi memorabilia which is perhaps his most questionable activity. According to Wikipedia, the Iron Cross has been popular with many bikers, hot rodders, skinheads and others, who have used German iconic militaria to promote a tough-guy image, or as a symbol of rebellion or non-conformity. It is better for this behaviour to be overt, otherwise monitoring it is more difficult. It is the subversives that cause most trouble in society and Lemmy doesn't hide much it seems, he doesn't promote either. He is quite open and honest about his activities yet he doesn't encourage others to copy him, and the fact that he can walk down a street in Nazi costume and his only threat is from fans reflects an open accepting society. That the Hells Angels are typically big Motorhead fans may also offer him some protection (and perhaps that is where his Nazi fascination began - although i think his collecting of nazi memorabilia is akin to curatorship). The Motorhead tour of Russia symbolised the easing of communism there. So all up, if Lemmy epitomises 'bad' then we're doing alright because on closer inspection he's not that bad really.
2. I can clearly hear rockabilly in Motorhead music. And not just the (appalling) old covers of Louie Louie or the ‘Please don’t touch’ duet. But in the beats and melody – it’s very rockabilly speed, speedy rockabilly, or speed metal or something. In his spare time from Motorhead Lemmy plays in rockabilly band - the Head Cats. He however would just call it all ROCK'N'ROLL.
That Lemmy can play a bass and write tunes needn't be said. He is an experienced expert. But his lyrics look like 'last minute in the studio' work, and he can’t sing – at best it’s a throaty yell and is often flat. As he puts it: "I'm not the greatest singer in the world, I know that, but I know how to get my point across." It fits well with the Motorhead music that suits a power yell, but less so with his Head Cat work. But he is having a go and that should be applauded. He sets the bar low enough that others might have a go. Whether or not that's a good thing is questionable, but the 'have a go', do-it-yourself ethos defined punk, and punk restored the health of the music industry.
3. He’s funny and can tell a joke:
“My earliest memory is shouting. At what and for what reason, I don't know. Probably a tantrum; or I may have been rehearsing. I was always an early starter.”
''If this band moved in next door to you, your lawn would die.''
''I don't need Channel 4 to tell me how rock and roll I am; I'm in fucking Motörhead!'' - After taking Channel 4's 'How Rock And Roll Are You?' test and barely scoring 2/3 of the marks.
'I got a tattoo of a dick on my dick, only bigger''
“If you think you are too old to rock 'n roll, then you are.”
4. Lemmy is a stubborn survivor. His resilience teaches us that rock’n’rollers can age yet never be outdated (or in his case never unable to get a date). This makes us feel ok about being middle aged and still slightly dysfunctional. He has been around since the Beatles played the Cavern, tells stories about Hendrix. While it may seem that every interviewer wants him to repeat these experiences, and he politely does so, even though it must bore him and frankly, his fans would rather hear about him, he doesn't need to name check for cred.
He has chosen his path and not deviated, not compromised through the peaks and troughs of musical genre cycles. It shows dedication, what business schools refer to as 'sticking to the core', the mission. It inspires others. He teaches us to pursue our passion straight ahead, not deviate from that pursuit, to live fully. He's been around long enough to have seen trends come and go and doesn't waiver. Timeless. Sure he's a hedonist but even so, to have lived his lifestyle for decades without waiver demonstrates discipline, tenacity, drive, stubbornness. There aren't many CEO's of companies (which he effectively is) who have lasted decades through peaks and troughs in the same business. There were times when he was the sole member of Motorhead as his compadres burnt out, yet he persisted and built it back up. His roadcrew have stayed with him for decades and Motorhead tour constantly, surely a good sign of his leadership abilities.
He has a low tolerance for fools, fakes and liars. He’s honest – in an era of healthy cotton wool-ed plastic botox he’s never removed those moles on his face, although his teeth look like they’ve had work. He wears whatever he wants and is never in fashion, yet never out of fashion. Look at clips of him in the 1970s and you look at HIM not his clothes, they may even be the same clothes he’s wearing today.
He's one of very few – he has survived and seems content and grateful. Unlike other survivors he hasn't taken an easy path. He hasn't advertised for Luis Vuitton luggage and earned $$$. He's done it alone and his way. It appears he intends to keep going. And that is why I appreciate Lemmy.
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